Valentina Shevchenko still ruled the female fly class.
Shevchenko (25-4-1 MMA, 14-3-1 UFC) enters the octagon to face Manon Fiorot, aiming to secure the first champion defense of the second domination. The women's lightweight championship battle was co-chaired at the Bell Center in Montreal. 25 minutes later, Shevchenko did enough in the judge's eyes to beat Fiorot 48-47 (12-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC).
Fiorot showed pressure to move forward early, but Shevchenko's keen counterattack quickly slowed down. As the round continues to unfold, Fiorot's shock is more proficient. But Shevchenko's right hand continued to land, a large extra swing of the challenger's nose. Shevchenko is late to fight to gain some control time.
In round 2, Fiorot took another approach by finding the undoorer, but her first attempt did not exist. Shevchenko is content to stay in her space and play counter games. Fiorot made a success by putting Shevchenko in a third batting attempt but didn't do much on the mat. Within seconds of the cutoff, Fiorot stood up and threw his knee to Schechenko, but referee Marc Goddard did not stop taking action or warn him.
As the battle seemed to be tied after 10 minutes, Fiorot continued to move forward, striking exchanges. A mature spin rear speed of Shevchenko prompted the Fiorot shot to hit the ball, but the champion defended it and landed on the exit.
Shevchenko showed more urgency early in the 4th round as she raised some volume a little and canceled a nice wheel kick. Fiorot leaned against the fence to prevent the champion from gaining momentum. Shevchenko added his own batting attempt but couldn't finish it. But after a moment, a good spin kick scored. A minute away, Shevchenko won the batting but couldn't keep the fight on the ground.
Within the last few seconds of the round, Shevchenko got on his right hand and slammed Fiorot into the mat. She rushed in and landed the follow-up punch, but the horn sounded. This will be the biggest moment of the battle.
The remaining five minutes of the championship seems to be undecided and someone needs to stamp it in the battle. Shevchenko became clearer in space as Fiorot looked at the distance. The crowd didn't appreciate Fiorot's entry into the last minute work. They had about 40 seconds left to separate, allowing the strike to fly for a while, but no contact would change the result.
The judges determined that Shevchenko had enough to retain the championship after five rounds. Shevchenko now beat Alexa Grasso in September in a trilogy round at UFC 306, recording her second lightweight champion reigning the first title of the title.
Fiorot is second only to her second career defeat. Her first defeat came in her professional debut, then won the title with 12 consecutive opponents.